Option 1: Work your ass off in undergrad to get a 3.6 GPA with a degree in mechanical engineering and make $60,000 starting out with max of maybe $100,000.

Option 2: Work hard (but still have fun) in undergrad to get a 3.8 GPA in economics or political science, get a job as an IB analyst, make $70,000 / year starting with a max of many, many millions.

There's a reason people are choosing to do liberal arts degrees. It's not because people are incapable of doing CS/Engineering, it's that CS/Engineering is REALLY, REALLY hard (especially at top schools) and the incentive just isn't there. I'm at a top 10/15 known for the sciences, and I can tell you that the students doing well as Biomedical / Chemical engineers are literally working their asses off, compared to the political science / writing students who work hard, but it's just not in the same league.

Or, to put it another way, I took a 400-level poli-sci class as a freshman and did perfectly fine. There would be no way in hell I could walk into a 400-level math class on topology and do well as a freshman. That's the difference.

Option 1: Work your ass off in undergrad to get a 3.6 GPA with a degree in mechanical engineering and make $60,000 starting out with max of maybe $100,000.

Option 2: Work hard (but still have fun) in undergrad to get a 3.8 GPA in economics or political science, get a job as an IB analyst, make $70,000 / year starting with a max of many, many millions.

There's a reason people are choosing to do liberal arts degrees. It's not because people are incapable of doing CS/Engineering, it's that CS/Engineering is REALLY, REALLY hard (especially at top schools) and the incentive just isn't there. I'm at a top 10/15 known for the sciences, and I can tell you that the students doing well as Biomedical / Chemical engineers are literally working their asses off, compared to the political science / writing students who work hard, but it's just not in the same league.

Or, to put it another way, I took a 400-level poli-sci class as a freshman and did perfectly fine. There would be no way in hell I could walk into a 400-level math class on topology and do well as a freshman. That's the difference.

Agree 100%. I was a Electrical Engineer in freshman year of college and switched to Econ sophomore year. Results: GPA went up 0.6, made friends who didn't play Dungeons and Dragons, got laid 10x more, and my salary alone is over 2x versus engineers.

" But he didn't know who was president of the United States in 1956." This idiot writes an article about how dumb an entire generation is, but can't even use proper grammar in a published article... really?

" But he didn't know who was president of the United States in 1956." This idiot writes an article about how dumb an entire generation is, but can't even use proper grammar in a published article... really?

Futures Trader Man, can you tell me what is incorrect about the grammar in that sentence? Not a slam on you ... I honestly don't see it.

" But he didn't know who was president of the United States in 1956." This idiot writes an article about how dumb an entire generation is, but can't even use proper grammar in a published article... really?

Futures Trader Man, can you tell me what is incorrect about the grammar in that sentence? Not a slam on you ... I honestly don't see it.

You can't say, "He didn't know who was the president." it has to be, "He didn't know who the president was."

" But he didn't know who was president of the United States in 1956." This idiot writes an article about how dumb an entire generation is, but can't even use proper grammar in a published article... really?

Futures Trader Man, can you tell me what is incorrect about the grammar in that sentence? Not a slam on you ... I honestly don't see it.

You can't say, "He didn't know who was the president." it has to be, "He didn't know who the president was."

" But he didn't know who was president of the United States in 1956." This idiot writes an article about how dumb an entire generation is, but can't even use proper grammar in a published article... really?

Futures Trader Man, can you tell me what is incorrect about the grammar in that sentence? Not a slam on you ... I honestly don't see it.

You can't say, "He didn't know who was the president." it has to be, "He didn't know who the president was."

Why can't you say that? I mean your way sounds better, but how is his way incorrect?

Seriously, my question is why did he write this piece? I personally also am not too fond of the students who go to school and hope to succeed by studying a subject for its relative ease. I also am not going to write an article in the WSJ where I simply shoot off about how systematic it is.

It has less to do with intelegence, and more to do with changing times. 30 years ago the information curve was flat by today's standards. The rate at which knowledge grows in today's world essentially puts downward pressure on memorization of facts that do not change. Why would I memorize who was president in 1956 when I can look that up in an instant. The human brain has limits and with the amount of information out there today we have to pick and choose what we spend time on.

Please tell us a little bit more about yourself to send you the most relevant notifications

Get Notified?

Investment Banking Resume Template - Official WSO CV ExampleAttached to the bottom of this post, you will find the Wall Street Oasis Investment Banking Resume Template for undergraduate students, used by the WSO paid service and thousands of candidates to successfully land a job in investment banking.
For those of you looking to make sure your CV...

Approaching 30 and lostI am turning 30 this month and looking back now I realize how little of my goals I have achieved (professionally and personally)
I make around $150k a year, hardly enough to make a decent living in Manhattan. Not in IBD but in a similar role.
In a good really work week, I have barely...

Bad HabitsWhat bad habits (besides lack of sleep) have you all developed since you started at a bank? For example, I started biting my nails after a month on the job but had never bit them before and a friend began to mumble random finance terms in her sleep.

Lying on your resume -- experiences, ethics, and strategies This might not sit well with a fair amount of people on here, but I've found this interesting since I've heard a few financial professionals say that this is an okay thing to do (to an extent).
Has anyone else here made a small lie on their resume? (director of bullshit club,...